Pamela Aidan - These Three Remain

Darcy gripped his shoulder. “If you had not confronted me…”

“For what other use is a friend?” Dy whispered and, stepping back, glanced at the mantel clock. “Now, it truly is time.” He gripped Darcy’s hand even tighter. “There were moments when I almost despaired, but you, my friend, faced the worst a man’s mirror can reflect and have shown yourself one of the best men I have the privilege of knowing.” He then smiled broadly and with a wave of an elegant hand commanded, “Off with you now! Claim your bride, for you have won her heart in the best possible manner.”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church…”

They were all there: those who loved him and those whom he loved in turn: Georgiana, his Matlock relations, Dy; and those whose coming was politic: members of his various clubs, university friends, the Bennets’ neighbors, and Bingley’s relations. All together. Yet he could look nowhere but into Elizabeth’s eyes as she stood beside him. Her calm beauty worked on him, soothing his own racing heart as the words of the wedding service flowed over and around them, filling him with wonder. “This man,” he thought, he, himself, and “this woman,” this amazing, precious woman! Light streamed through the stained-glass windows there at the front of Meryton Church, illuminating their small circle in a benediction of softly colored glory. It lit Elizabeth’s hair, her eyes, her whole being, so that when the minister spoke of “mystical union,” Darcy felt the words swiftly and keenly pierce him to the heart.

His first sight of Elizabeth at the door of the sanctuary had left him in a perilous state. Such loveliness! The smile that graced her lips and the flash of her eyes as she and her sister Jane neared him and Charles, showed her joy and confidence in him. He must have stepped back or swayed, he knew not which, but he had felt Richard’s hand briefly on his arm. Elizabeth, Jane, and her father took their places and Darcy turned to face the minister, devoting those faculties he could spare to absorbing the words that would unite him to Elizabeth in truth as they were already in heart.

“Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife,” the Reverend Stanley addressed him solemnly, “to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her…”

Yes, Elizabeth, his heart sang.

“…comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health…”

Yes, my love.

“…and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?”

“I will,” he responded, his vow strong and resonant. Gladly, completely, always.

The priest now turned to Elizabeth. Her eyelashes fluttered down, but Darcy could sense her happiness. “Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God’s ordinance in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?”

“I will.”

“Who giveth these women to be married to these men?”

“I do.” Mr. Bennet turned to his daughters and slowly brushed their cheeks. Darcy could see tears forming in Elizabeth’s eyes as her father took up her right hand and, stepping back, placed it in the minister’s. At the reverend’s nod, Darcy came to Elizabeth’s side. Gently, the priest placed her hand in his. The words flowed on…to have and to hold…for better for worse…. His heart swelled with love and pride — proper pride, now — as he spoke each line, looking deeply into her eyes. “…to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth.”

Slowly, he unwound his fingers from hers. Elizabeth took his right hand. “I, Elizabeth Bennet, take thee, Fitzwilliam George Alexander Darcy, to my wedded husband…” The import of her whispered vows, that it was in him she placed her trust for all her future days, threatened to undo him. Richard leaned toward the minister and placed Elizabeth’s ring upon the book he held. Darcy took it up.

“With this ring I thee wed,” he promised, vowing into her keeping all he was or ever would become, “with my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.” He slipped the ruby-crowned band up her fourth finger, seating it gently before bringing her hand to his lips, his eyes never leaving her face. The pain of the past — the rejection and revelation, the self-conceit and self-pity, his consuming loneliness — was finished! And upon that blessing, compounding all others, was the trust and devotion of this woman. For all their tomorrows, they would be one in body and spirit. It lacked only one last benediction. They both turned back to the minister.

“Forasmuch as Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company…” The Reverend Stanley had read through each line of the service, but coming now to the close, he paused and encompassed them in a warm smile of blessing. “I pronounce that each couple be man and wife together, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

“Amen,” the assembly responded.

Sweeping up her other hand, Darcy brought both to his heart. She was his; he was hers. He was in want of nothing more. “Elizabeth,” he whispered. She looked up into his eyes. “Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth.”

The publishing of this volume brings to a close an eight-year labor of love that began as an experiment, became an education, progressed into a vocation, and finally transformed my life. It has brought me innumerable new friends and associates, and best and most wonderful of all, my husband, Michael.

An immense debt of gratitude goes to my friends Susan Kaye and Laura Lyons, fellow writers who encouraged and supported me every step of the way.

Finally, I must mention my readers. Your letters and notes through these many years have encouraged and humbled me more than you could ever imagine.

Bless you all!

Pamela Aidan

1. What first led you to suspect that Lord Brougham’s feelings for Georgiana Darcy went beyond protectiveness on behalf of her brother?

2. Dyfed Brougham becomes a more developed and complicated character in this novel than he was in the previous two. How do you feel about the spy plot twist? What kind of foil does Dy serve for Darcy?

3. Compare and contrast the formality and tradition-drenched ambience of Rosings to the atmosphere at the Collins’ Hunsford home and the scenes that unfold there.

4. Lady Catherine seems symbolic of a bygone era as far as “decorum” goes. Do you think the clash between her value system and what she sees as the “lack of propriety” in Darcy’s generation is similar to the recurring “generation gap” that still persists in our culture today?

5. Is it merely a moment of drunkenness or something else that pushes Darcy to confess his torment to Brougham? Why do you think, of all his acquaintances, it is Brougham to whom he finally opens his heart?

6. In this novel, Darcy continues to carefully shield and guide his younger sister, Georgiana. Why is it so difficult for Darcy to see Georgiana as the incredible young woman, by Lord Brougham’s account, she has already become? What finally opens his eyes?

7. What did you suspect were Lady Sylvanie’s motives for visiting Georgiana? Were you surprised when Dy appeared, incognito, to whisk Darcy away? Why or why not?

8. Darcy often finds himself interpreting “messages” from Elizabeth, both verbal and physical. Do you think he misreads her during their walks alone together at Rosings?

9. Discuss the ways in which duty and desire are at war with each other in this novel.

10. Darcy holds himself responsible for Lydia’s entanglement with Wickham because pride caused him to remain silent about Wickham’s character to those in Meryton. Do you agree that he is responsible for what happens?

11. Though it takes liberties, there are carefully designed moments of intersection between These Three Remain and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice — more importantly, Aidan’s novel gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at certain events, such as Darcy’s intervention regarding Lydia Bennet and Wickham. How do these connections contribute or detract from your reading experience?

12. With a wider cast of characters than Austen’s novel, These Three Remain serves to tie up far more loose ends. When all is finally revealed, do you believe that everyone has received his or her “just desserts?”

13. Now that you have seen the world through Darcy’s eyes, is Elizabeth’s estimation of his character accurate?

14. What does each of the titles in the trilogy reveal about the Darcy within it?

15. Since the trilogy is now complete, what would you like to see Pamela Aidan tackle next?

1. The renowned poet, Lord Byron, is mentioned in the novel as a somewhat scandalous introduction to the drawing rooms of high society. Shakespeare and Milton are quoted often in the novel as well. For your next meeting, bring a poem or sonnet you feel one of Pamela Aidan’s characters would enjoy and discuss the reasons behind your selection. Or if you really want a challenge, write an original piece in the voice of Mr. Darcy or the other characters!